The University will begin of-fering basic courses in a concen-trated two-week format beginning next May, a development that will provide another option for students who wish to take shorter classes or who cannot attend summer school.

Courses in the minimesters will cost $500 each, a flat rate that in-cludes tuition and fees. Eight basic

courses will be offered May 15-25 and four June 4-15. All classes will meet Monday through Friday from 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break.

“We think it is a great oppor-tunity for all students,” President Robert B. Sloan Jr. said when he announced the creation of the 10-day minimesters, for which stu-dents will be able to register as early as Nov. 7.

Students may only take one

course per minimester, but they will still be allowed to attend regu-lar summer sessions if they need to complete additional hours.

Classes offered in the first min-imester include Old Testament, Rhetoric and Public Speaking, Writing for Wisdom I, U.S. His-tory to 1877, Creating a Wellness Lifestyle, Intermediate Algebra, General Psychology and Principles of Sociology. Four courses will be

He uses short, precise graph-ite lines on white paper to give life to sketches of

trains chugging through fields. His broad strokes of baby blue acrylic paint blend with shades of white, bring-ing his paint-ings of nature to life.

F r o m i n t r i c a t e

sketches of mechanical objects to paintings of imaginary landscapes, Joel Stanulonis’ artwork has won him many accolades. In 2009, the senior’s work helped him secure a $2,500 scholarship. This July, one of his drawings was presented as a gift to the mayor of Salzwedel, Ger-many. And now, some of his works hang in a new solo art exhibition at the Art Institute of Houston North Campus.

An Honors College student ma-joring in studio art, Stanulonis is the University’s first undergraduate student to be featured in a gallery at AIH’s North campus.

He emphasized the importance of exhibitions and how they help define a new artist’s career. “It is great to have a public solo art show as an undergraduate because artists need feedback,” he said. “It gives me a chance to find out what others see in my work and to see if it elic-

OCTOBER 20, 2011HBUCOLLEGIAN.COM VOLUME 46, ISSUE 4

The CollegianTHE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY SINCE 1963

@hbucollegian facebook.com/hbucollegian Read. Recycle.RELIGION..................5ENTERTAINMENT.......7

S&T...........................9 OPINION................10

CLASSIFIEDS............11SPORTS...................12

Tuition tops $25,000

The board of trustees unani-mously approved a 4.6 percent tu-ition increase on Sept. 27, a move that pushes the cost of attending the

University to more than $25,000 for the coming academic year.

The decision increases next year’s tuition to $25,245 from the current rate of $24,145. Required fees were also increased to $1,350 from $1,250, an 8 percent jump.

Administrators are working to reduce or maintain current on-cam-pus housing and meal plan prices, which are usually determined in the fall, in an attempt to increase the population of students living on campus. A final decision is ex-

pected in the coming weeks. Administrators said the move

to increase tuition by $1,100 falls in line with what other private four-year institutions are pro-jected to charge for the 2012-13 academic year, but many universities have yet to release their tuition increases for the coming year.

James Steen, vice president for enrollment management, said the University needed to raise tu-

By DANIEL CADISEditor in chief

see TUITION, page 4

RADIANT RESEARCH

see pg. 9

ONE PRE-MED STUDENT SPENDS HER SUMMER STUDYING SOLAR RADIATION, FINDS SOME ILLUMINATING RESULTS

Junior Justin Bowers assists the American Chemical Society in drawing a gigantic periodic table of the elements outside of the Cullen Science Center on Oct. 14 in preparation for National Chemis-try Week, held Oct. 16-22. The organization asked non-members like Bowers to participate in the chalking project that covered the walking space around the science building.

by DINA ROHIRA

Element-ary, my dear chemist

SPOTLIGHT

THE TUITION TRANSITIONA look at how recent tuition increases — some of which have included grants to offset costs for continuing students — have played out.

TUITION GRANTS

2008-09$18,820

2009-10$19,990

2010-11$21,970

2011-12$24,145

2012-13$25,245

2010-11$600

2011-12$1,300

For this young artist, painting is a way of lifeBy NAILA AL HASANCirculation manager

The verdict is in. There will be no annual Homecoming bonfire this year.

Administrators cancelled the traditional bonfire on Oct. 17 after receiving official word from the City of Houston that the burn ban is still in place. Mayor Annise Parker implemented the ban in response to one of the worst wildfire seasons in Texas history, but organizers of the annual festivities said they were willing to put out the fire in ex-change for a safer celebration.

“We’d rather have the Univer-sity safe and have a happy Home-

Burn ban dousestraditionalbonfireBy NAYELI CABRERAContributing writer

The administra-tion chose not to give a con-tinuing student grant for the latest tuition increase after deeming the hike too small to warrant a discount.

Stanulonis

SGA moves step closer to decision

An amendment proposed dur-ing Student Government Associa-tion’s Oct. 17 meeting, if passed, would allow non-Christians to serve on the organization’s legis-lative body. All members would have to sign the new Covenant Agreement, a change from the cur-rent policy that requires affirma-tion of the Christian faith.

BY AYLA SYED, PAGE 4see ARTIST, page 4

Room, board charges might decrease for fall

see BONFIRE, page 4

Administration unveils new minimesters at $500 per course

see COURSES, page 2

By DANIEL CADISEditor in chief

STEER CLEAR OF ‘BIG YEAR’

see pg. 8

WHERE’S THEPROTEST MUSIC?

see pg. 8

Student Government Association has partnered with other governing organizations at Houston universi-ties to boost awareness and partici-pation in a monthlong competition next semester to see which institu-tion can collect the largest amount of recyclables.

SGA plans to collect paper, plastic and aluminum materials as part of the Houston Universities Recycling Initiative competition this February, an event which involves various recycling projects around the city.

The competition will conclude March 10 at the Discovery Green Sustainability Event, during which participating schools will announce the weighed totals for the previous month’s recycling inventory.

The participating universities plan to include entertainment, food and activities for the event. By working together, the universi-ties hope to receive sponsorships from recycling companies, Waste Management and the city govern-ment. They also hope to locate additional supporters from the Greater Houston area.

Michael Harding, president of the University of Houston’s stu-dent government, contacted junior Vincent Meyers, SGA president, in

June with the idea to unite major colleges around the city in an effort to promote recycling. Meyers then worked to recruit the University of St. Thomas for the campaign that now includes six institutions.

“The initiative enables us to par-ticipate in what we consider to be a very worthwhile cause, which is environmental preservation and responsibility,” Meyers said.

SGA has met with representa-tives from UH, UH Clear Lake, Rice University, St. Thomas and Texas Southern University in an effort to reduce the city’s waste production.

Meyers said the green initia-tive will help SGA get actively involved with students and the local community.

“This shows that we are willing and able to provide leadership and cooperation with other organiza-tions to pursue something worth-while,” he said, adding that the event provides a way to build rela-tionships with other universities.

The organization plans to uti-lize social networking, viral media, Quick Response codes and Houston cultural publications, such as Art Houston, Houston Press and Culture Map, to promote the Discovery Green Sustainability Event without using paper prod-ucts.

“We are going to be focusing

on using as little paper marketing as possible in accordance with the theme of the event,” Meyers said.

The University has participated in past environmental efforts such as RecycleMania, a competition between college campuses across the nation to promote waste reduc-tion. Unlike RecycleMania, the Houston Universities Recycling Initiative consists solely of local campuses.

Students in Free Enterprise is also collaborating with SGA on the event by assisting with promotion and labor.

Junior Jeremy Klutts, SGA vice president, emphasized the impor-tance of involvement with environ-mental issues and added that while green initiatives can be perceived as political statements, SGA’s par-ticipation in eco-friendly sustain-ability events does not reflect any political affiliation.

“It is something in this day and age that needs to be addressed,” he said. “I think it is a good thing that students are the ones addressing it.”

Movie discussionThe department of phi-

losophy will hold a movie discussion for “Babette’s Feast” on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Hinton Center, room 216. The event is worth two Community Life and Worship credits.

The Guild InstituteGuest speaker Gary

Thomas will deliver a public lecture for The Guild Institute in Christian Family Studies titled “Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad About Feeling Good?” on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in Belin Chapel.

Shane & ShaneShane & Shane, an indie

Christian band, will per-form as part of the concert series on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. in Dunham Theater. Tickets are free for the University com-munity and can be picked up in the Student Life office in the Brown Administrative Complex, room 291.

Essay contestThe department of his-

tory will host an information session for its second annual essay contest “A Piece of the Past” on Oct. 25 at 3:30 p.m. in the Morris Cultural Arts Center. Guests who attend the event may enter a raffle to win one of three Amazon Kindle e-readers.

OCTOBER 20, 2011 2 THE COLLEGIAN | NEWS

CAMPUS BRIEFING

Corrections:• The photo of President Robert B. Sloan Jr. on the front page and the photo of the cheerleaders on page four were wrongly attrib-uted. Both were taken by Maryam Ghaffar.

Errors and comments can be reported to:thecollegian@hbucollegian.com(281) 649-3670Brown Administrative Complex, room 225

SGA joins monthlong recycling competitionBy JESSICA ALDANAEntertainment editor

offered in the second minimester: New Testament; U.S. History from 1877; Wellness for Special Popula-tions, a two-credit course that will meet from 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Math for Critical Thinking.

Sloan added that, for now, the University will offer lower-level courses that are more attractive to freshmen and sophomores, but the eventual goal is to add more class-es as demand increases.

Dr. Robert Stacey, interim pro-vost and dean of the Honors Col-lege, said the program is not for all students and that it was competi-tively priced to draw in transient students, or those who attend other institutions but may want to com-plete additional classes in an ab-breviated time frame.

“We are going to be the only one in the Houston area with this option,” he said.

COURSES: Shorter classes for those with less timeContinued from Page 1

Many upperclassmen, in the midst of preparing applications for graduate school and locating fund-ing to pursue their master’s degrees, will be faced with a new challenge this upcoming year: the lack of in-terest-free loans.

The Budget Control Act of 2011, enacted by President Barack Obama this summer to bring the debt ceil-ing crisis to a close, included a pro-vision that ended federally funded subsidized loans for graduate stu-dents.

Projected to save the federal gov-ernment more than $20 billion over the next 10 years, the new law will affect students who enroll in gradu-ate school after July 1, 2012 and leaves many worried about funding their post-secondary education.

“This change is kind of scary,” said senior Carlos Mendoza, a Christianity and sociology major who is currently applying for gradu-ate school in theology.

In the past, the federal govern-ment covered the interest on the principal of subsidized loans for graduate students during their time at post-secondary institutions as well as for the first six months af-ter their graduation. This allowed recent graduates, who were allowed to borrow up to $8,500 in subsidized loans and $12,000 in unsubsidized loans, time to locate jobs.

Next year’s graduate school stu-dents are still allowed to borrow a total of $20,500 per year, but the loans will begin accruing interest at the rate of 6.8 percent as soon as

they are taken out, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

If the maximum amount of funds a graduate student can re-ceive through federal loan programs starts accruing at that interest rate, a student will owe approximately $74,500 upon graduation. That is nearly $14,000 more than he or she would have owed with a traditional $8,500 subsidized loan.

Debora Burnett, director of fi-nancial aid operations, said the av-erage cost of graduate programs at the University is $30,000, with the MBA program having the maxi-mum tuition of $39,000. While graduates will be ineligible for sub-sidized loans starting next year, the graduate programs are now award-ing scholarships based on GMAT or GRE scores. These scholarships are automatically awarded upon admis-sion to the program. The Graduate School has also started awarding alumni scholarships for University graduates, a move that may alleviate some of the new financial pain.

The federal government’s move comes at a time of increasing enroll-ment in graduate school programs. The number of students pursuing post-secondary education has in-creased 57 percent since 1988 even as the average price for tuition has jumped to $30,000 from $8,000 per year, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

“I need that education,” said se-nior David Kabiru, a physics major applying to the University of Van-derbilt to study medical physics.

There are also government programs called Loan Forgive-ness, which can forgive part or, in

some cases, the entire unpaid loan amounts. In order to be eligible for Loan Forgiveness, a graduate has to perform volunteer work, military service, teach or practice medicine.

Graduates’ ineligibility for subsi-

dized loans is one of many cuts the government has made to cope with national debt, but not all students approve of this action.

“Education is very important, and I would like it better if they cut

from something else,” said senior Grace Parmar, who is majoring in biblical languages and applying to the University of Pennsylvania to study social policy. “This could be very detrimental in the long run.”

Campus sCene

Sophomore Pablo Velez, senior Martin Chagolla Jr., sophomore John LaChapelle and senior Israel Adedipe fly a paper airplane in the Brown Administrative Complex on Oct. 17 during a Beta Upsilon Chi chapter event that included the airplane toss, a trivia game and a Wiffle ball toss competition.

by DINA ROHIRA

OCTOBER 20, 2011 NEWS | THE COLLEGIAN 3

Graduate students no longer eligible for subsidized loansBy ADIL RAJABALIStaff writer

ition for the 2012-13 academic year in order to improve the insti-tution, which ultimately benefits students. “We want students to be able to affort a reasonable increase in tuition,” he said, explaining the administration’s decision to raise tu-ition by less than half of last year’s 10 percent tuition increase.

Returning students received a $1,300 one-time grant this fall that sliced the nearly 10 percent tuition increase in half, but the administra-tion chose not to continue this prac-tice for the coming academic year, said Sandy Mooney, vice president for financial operations and chair of the finance committee that devel-oped the proposal. She added that the administration did not believe the 4.6 percent tuition increase was high enough to warrant another dis-count for returning students.

Scholarships, some of which have more than quadrupled in size in the last three years, also increased for the 2012-13 academic year as part of the administration’s efforts to draw more academically gifted students. Freshman merit threshold scholar-ships and grants were bumped up by $500-1,000 for the coming year, but achievement awards and transfer merit scholarships were kept at cur-rent levels.

The administration has also tak-en steps to increase the population of students who live on campus by restructuring the various Aramark Food Services meal plan options and slashing residential housing prices.

President Robert B. Sloan Jr. said administrators are doing everything they can to encourage more students to live on campus, a move that falls

under the fourth pillar of his Ten Pil-lars vision for the University. That pillar calls for shifting the majority of students from living off campus — nearly 70 percent of the student body commuted during the 2010-11 academic year — to residing in on-

campus housing. Rate cuts of 15-25 percent have been discussed for the Lake House alone.

Despite the proposed cuts to room and board prices, many students said they were already strapped by rising expenses and would have a difficult

time paying for the latest increase.Sophomore Arlene Gamiochipi,

a bilingual education major, said she believes the charges for attending the University are already too high. “They need to try to keep the prices down,” she said, shaking her head.

OCTOBER 20, 2011 4 THE COLLEGIAN | NEWS

A proposal to amend Student Government Association’s consti-tution to allow non-Christian stu-dents to once again hold legisla-tive positions was unanimously approved during the weekly meet-ing held on Oct. 17.

In accordance with SGA bylaws, the amendment will be published for student review through HuskySync until Oct. 27, after which it will be voted on again by SGA.

If SGA adopts the amendment with a two-thirds majority vote, the document will pass to Whit Goodwin, director of Student Life and SGA adviser, for final delib-eration.

If approved, the amendment will remove the previous stipula-tion that required all SGA mem-bers to sign the University pream-ble and affirm the Christian faith.

All elected members will instead have to sign the new Covenant Agreement, a document drafted in an effort to allow non-Christians to serve on SGA while still upholding the University’s mission.

Non-Christian students will be allowed to serve in the legislative body of SGA but will not be able to serve on the six-member executive board, members of which still have to sign the preamble affirming the Christian faith.

SGA executives coordinated with President Robert B. Sloan Jr. and Goodwin to prepare the Covenant Agreement to make a distinction between supporting the University’s Christian ideals and accepting them to be true.

The Covenant Agreement states that all elected members must agree to abide by the mission of the University and not do or say anything contrary to the institu-tion’s Christian mission. It also stipulates that non-Christian stu-dents abstain from votes concern-ing spiritual matters.

Sloan said legislative members should be able to come from any-where in the student body, permit-ting they do not act against the University’s Christian mission.

“I think an atheist who sup-ports the mission is better than the nominal Christian who does not support it and actively goes against it,” he said.

The changes, if approved, will affect eligibility for the elections in the spring semester.

Junior Vincent Meyers, SGA president, said the amendment will help remove any barriers that pre-vent students from participating in SGA. “They will have a full opportunity for complete repre-sentation,” he said, referring to the change from the current system that excludes non-Christian mem-bership.

Meyers added that he thinks the amendment will be adopted.

The topic will be discussed again on Oct. 31, the Monday after the 10-day review period.

SGA votes to publicize amendment

its the response I had hoped for.”Michael Collins, director of the

School of Art and artist in residence, said Stanulonis’ invitation to exhibit his work did not surprise him.

“He’s amazingly gifted,” Collins said, adding that Stanulonis excels not only in his art classes but also in all areas of academics.

“He was working at a profes-sional level in high school and has gone even further in his college career. The miraculous thing about Joel is that he has used his liberal arts education and training to take his paintings from good to amaz-ing.”

More than 25 people, including his parents, attended the opening re-ception on Oct. 18. Included in his new show are four paintings, four drawings and five digital prints of originals that were sold to collec-tors.

Susanne Behrens, president of AIH, contacted Stanulonis this sum-mer to display thirteen of his pieces at one of the school’s art galleries after he presented his portfolio at an AIH open house in August.

“His use of color and ability to focus the eye of the viewer demon-strate his talent for sharing that per-spective,” Behrens said.

The young artist, who works part time at Java City Cafe, spent the summer in Salzwedel, Germany, as part of the University’s study abroad program where he had a one-month

exhibit in the Industrie-und Handel-skammer gallery. He said the trip enhanced his creative growth and provided a new perspective through exposure to the German culture.

Juan Castillo, a Master of Fine Arts student who also attended the study abroad program, attributed Stanulonis’ command of drawing to his perception and creativity.

“Joel is a really good observer of objects and of his surround-ings, which shows in his ability to

draw quickly,” Castillo said. “He is highly skilled, and with these skills, combined with his imagination, he is able to produce great drawings.”

When he returned from studying abroad, Stanulonis wanted to build upon this training and prepare for graduate studies in studio art. He considered pursuing an associate degree in graphic design and digi-tal art from AIH, which led him to meet Behrens this summer.

He has also had success on an-

other front. The 22-year-old artist is currently arranging for one of his paintings to be hung in the Lithu-anian embassy in London, a career achievement uncommon for some-one of his age.

Stanulonis said he finds artistic inspiration in his family and nature and has produced more than three dozen paintings and several hun-dred drawings.

His work will be on display at AIH through Oct. 31.

ART: Senior holds solo exhibitionContinued from Page 1

photo illustration by MARYAM GHAFFAR

Senior Joel Stanulonis, a studio art major, sits in front of one of his pieces during the Oct. 18 opening reception for his solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Houston North Campus.

coming rather than potentially having someone get hurt because of a fire that got out of control,” said Haseeb Khatri, president of Student Programming Board, which handles much of the re-sponsibility of organizing Home-coming.

The bonfire has been one of the highlights of Homecoming in past years, but students can still participate in other activities that were added to the schedule before the bonfire was cancelled.

Husky Madness, a celebra-tion designed to help cheer on the University’s basketball teams, has been added to the list of Home-coming festivities. Historically, Husky Madness occurred in Oc-tober, around the first date of practice for both the women’s and men’s basketball teams.

This year, however, NCAA policy changes no longer make the old date of Husky Madness feasible, so it has been included in the schedule of events on Nov. 4, the date the bonfire would have occurred.

“We’re pumping up Husky

Madness,” Khatri said, adding that the University Store will give prizes to those in attendance.

In an attempt to help more people feel the Husky spirit, orga-nizers have created a new activity known as “Paws Across Campus.” Teams competing in the Husky Cup, a weeklong competition that groups can enter to earn points for cash prizes, will decorate the cam-pus with orange and blue. SPB has usually done this in the past, but organizers hope the “Paws Across Campus” event will help fire up the student body for Homecom-ing.

“We’re all Huskies, so we should all be decorating that week instead of having just one orga-nization doing it,” said Becky Crandall, director of student in-volvement, adding that student organizations can also earn points by recruiting alumni participants.

Other changes to Husky Cup activities consist of merging the chili cook-off with the rest of the Saturday evening events so that the cook-off, the fair and the din-ner all take place at Holcombe

Mall, helping to create a tailgate environment.

Event coordinators have also brought back the golf cart parade competition as a part of the Husky Cup. It was a popular event that existed several years ago, during which participating groups deco-rated golf carts to earn points for the cup.

Additional changes made by Homecoming will also affect Con-vocation this year.

The pep rally-style Convoca-tion usually held during Home-coming will be at Holcombe Mall this year on Nov. 2, a deviation from years past when it was held in Sharp Gym.

Jennifer Davis, associate di-rector of alumni relations and an-nual fund, attributed the change of venue to the increased popularity of the pep rally, resulting in a need for more seating. She encouraged students to bring their own blan-kets to make Convocation resem-ble an outdoor concert.

“Hopefully Homecoming week will turn out really well,” Davis said. “I’m excited for it.”

HOMECOMING: Bonfire cancelled

TUITION: University increases 2012-13 tuitionContinued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

By AYLA SYEDNews editor

Students in search of an on-campus place to pray will have an-other option beginning at the end of October.

The prayer toom located in the newly created Spiritual Life Hub above the Baugh Center will open later this month as a new space for all members of the Univer-sity community to pursue spiritual growth.

The centerpiece of the hub, which includes six rooms and a general meeting area, will feature a quiet area that is the latest of-ficial prayer location on campus. Other spaces already available to students include the Hatton Cha-pel in the Lake House as well as the Belin Chapel.

The hub became a possibility when the S t u d e n t Life de-p a r t m e n t re loca ted all of its staff to the newly r e o p e n e d

M.D. Anderson student center this semester, freeing up rooms in the space above the Baugh Center.

With this relocation, the Spiri-

tual Life department formed its own centralized hub in the space above the Baugh Center.

Student Life director Whit Goodwin, who initiated the idea for the hub, said he wanted the Spiritual Life department to have its own space on campus so that the department can focus on its ministries to students.

Goodwin said he also wanted to make the hub an optimal location for students to congregate for fel-lowship and study.

“We want it to be a place where students feel comfortable and where they can grow spiritually with one another,” he said.

The hub does have one draw-back right now, Miller said.

“It’s only open when the office is open at this point — Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” he said.

Miller added that there will be resources available in the prayer

room to help people pray for not only their personal needs, but also for the needs of people around the world.

These resources include a wall that will be completely covered with a world map and a book called “Operation World,” which lists the demographics, issues and events taking place in many differ-ent countries across the globe.

“It helps you to be more for-ward in your prayer for the world,” Miller said of the map and book.

Students will not only be able to pray for the world’s needs, but also for those on campus.

“I am most excited about students being able to look out through the window onto campus and not only pray for faculty, staff and other students, but also see how God is already working,” said Emily Estill, president of Ministry Leadership Council.

Cross and Miller both said they

hope the room will be frequently utilized and expressed their desire for the hub to have an inviting at-mosphere.

MLC, an organization dedicat-ed to training ministerial leaders and to providing places for stu-dents to lead, has been tasked with deciding on the layout and the fur-nishings for the space.

Miller said this was the only space in the hub where students helped design the layout.

Estill said MLC hopes that stu-dents will be able to unwind and spend time with God in the new prayer space.

“We wanted it to be a peaceful place where students could sense that they were alone with the Lord and enjoy his presence,” Estill said.

The hub is already up and run-ning and includes offices and workrooms for the Service Learn-ing Committee and MLC.

photo illustration by DINA ROHIRA

Lecturing to a student-filled chapel, Dr. Chris Keith challenged his audience to think about wheth-er or not Jesus was considered a scribal literate in the eyes of the Pharisees and synagogue teach-ers of his time or merely a layman carpenter.

Keith, a 2010 recipient of the John Templeton Award for Theo-logical Promise, was invited to the University by Dr. William Ruther-ford, assistant professor in Christi-anity, and Dr. David Capes, Thom-as Nelson Research Professor, both mutual friends of Keith’s, to address the 2,000-year-old issue of whether or not Jesus demonstrated a formal training in his interpreta-tion of the Torah.

Keith explained the historical background concerning the early life of Jesus and his ministry in the synagogue, noting that a proper understanding of the two can help lead to a balanced view of the de-bate.

Drawing from examples in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and

Luke, Keith said it is important that people address the differences in the texts and what each states about the writers’ views of Jesus.

He commented that the social status and professions of these New Testament authors could have prompted the exclusion or inclusion of certain words.

Keith used original biblical-based manuscripts as references to point out the opinions of other writers besides those who wrote the Gospels.

Keith said he believes Jesus was not a scribal literate, which ultimately affected the Pharisees’ perception of him.

Keith concluded that the Gos-pels of both Matthew and Mark gave a more accurate depiction of how Jesus was viewed in his time.

He also acknowledged that his stance on the issue could be seen as contentious.

“Some may indeed be shocked by my claim, but by looking from a socio-historic point of view, I think you’ll find that my statement is not so controversial,” Keith said.

Freshman Nicholas Van Cleve said the lecture gave him great insight into a topic with which he

was previously unfamiliar. “Dr. Keith did an outstanding

job in helping to reveal a deeper understanding of the issue,” he said. “This will definitely help me in my future reading of the text.”

Following the lecture, Keith worked in collaboration with the School of Theology to hold a question-and-answer session for graduate students and other guests.

Dr. Joseph Blair, interim di-rector of the School of Theology, said he was grateful to have an esteemed professor lecture at the University and give students an opportunity to be enlightened on a topic of great theological impor-tance.

Keith was also the guest speak-er at the Oct. 12 Convocation.

Keith’s topic “What are you committed to and how much?” addressed the many commitments one makes in life and the ultimate dedication to the cause of Christ.

Using Jesus and Stephen, the latter considered by many to be Christianity’s first martyr, Keith said that total commitment to Christ requires total sacrifice, and forgiveness plays an essential role in attempting to live as Christ

wants his followers to live.Keith is able to take his mes-

sages to campuses worldwide with the help of the Templeton award, presented annually as an endow-ment to 12 postdoctoral scholars worldwide.

The award gives the recipient $20,000, half of which is used as a travel stipend to support lectur-ing at different universities on the theological topics of his or her choice.

Keith has spoken at many schools throughout the country and abroad, including Yale Uni-versity, the University of Chicago and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

He has published more than a dozen scholarly articles and has authored three books, including “The Pericope Adulterae, the Gos-pel of John, and the Literacy of Jesus,” for which Keith won the Templeton award.

In addition to guest lecturing at many different venues around the world, Keith has taught theol-ogy courses at Lincoln Christian University as assistant professor of New Testament and Christian origins since 2008.

For the first time, the Supreme Court of the United States heard a case involving religious institutions’ right to discriminate during

the hiring process.The case involved Cheryl Perich,

who was fired from her teaching post at a Michigan Lutheran school in 2005 for taking time off to undergo treatment for narcolepsy. When she was asked to resign from the school because of the treatments, she re-fused and took legal action against the school under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her case climbed the legal ladder and made its way to the highest court in the country.

The irony in the case is that the same institutions that should em-body the notion of loving others and not discriminating are the only ones who get an exception to the federal laws against discrimination. This should not be endorsed by the U.S. government.

Religious organizations fall un-der the ministerial exception, which exempts such employers from being penalized for hiring and firing peo-ple based on gender, race or disabil-ity. Once an employee is hired under the exception, he or she can be fired without cause or warning, according to the website for the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

The school maintains that Perich was considered a “called teacher” since she was chosen to lead various religious activities at the school. Be-cause of the nature of her position, she was employed under the minis-terial exception, meaning the school was within its rights to fire her based on her need for medical treatment.

Religious organizations have the power to decide whom to hire because it is up to each church, mosque or synagogue to determine the qualities it looks for in employ-ees, said Ira Lupu, a law professor and church-state expert at George Washington University in an Oct. 6 article for The Columbus Dispatch.

Once hired, however, those peo-ple deserve the same protection and job security that any employee has at any other job.

The current rule is ludicrous and does not support the basic tenet of the world’s major faiths, many of which call their followers to accept people for who they are and help them through difficult times.

Whether employees are in the ministry or not, once they are hired, those employees should have the peace of mind that they will not be let go from their jobs for circum-stances that are out of their control.

Religious institutions not exempt

Keith claims Jesus not ‘scribal literate’

By ALEXIS SHELLYReligion editor

By REUBIN TURNERAsst. entertainment editor

OCTOBER 20, 2011 RELIGION | THE COLLEGIAN 5

Prayer room takes shapeBy ALEXIS SHELLYReligion editor

Sophomore Larry Freeny uses the new prayer room in the Spiritual Life hub on the second floor of the Baugh Center to study God’s Word as well as pray for needs of fellow students on campus.

Cross

TEMPLETON LECTURE

Learn where you liveThree New Degrees at DTS-Houston

Master of Arts in Christian LeadershipLeadership skills for the ministry and marketplace

Master of Arts in Cross-cultural MinistryIntercultural training for a diverse city and world

Doctor of MinistryAdvanced practical training while you continue in ministry

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The CollegianTHE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY SINCE 1963

Audiences expecting a more exhilarating plot lurking behind the ambiguous title of “The Big Year,” David Frankel’s latest film, may leave theaters disappointed when they discover that the movie centers around bird watching.

That’s right — bird watching.

The creative team behind the new movie does deserve some credit for originality, but the film remains anything but entertaining.

Comedians Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin star as three avid bird watchers who pur-sue their passion for birding as they each try to break the record for the most species of fowl seen in one calendar year, referred to in the movie as a “big year.”

This record, held by the ambi-tious Kenny Bostick (Wilson) at the start of the film, proves to cost the competitors more than they anticipated as it creates animosity between them and their families, a

dispute that begins the thickening of the plot.

That conflict ultimately be-comes a choice each of the main characters must face: family or personal success.

Steering clear of the outrageous humor and wild antics audiences have come to expect from the trio, “The Big Year” reduces these ac-tors to a level that coincides with the film’s PG rating.

The subtle humor of the film combined with its humble theme of love and sacrifice make for a pleasant family movie, but not the typical edgy comedy viewers have come to enjoy from such actors.

Unlike most comedies, the per-sonal moments in the movie were slightly offbeat and awkward at times.

Bostick and his wife, whose marriage begins falling apart be-cause of his obsessive birding, have a few dramatic moments worthy of a daytime soap opera, allowing this film to easily pass for a romantic comedy.

Desperate to accomplish his goals and prove himself, Brad Harris (Black) gives audiences less drama and more laughs with his free spirit.

He sets out for his big year with minimal finances and little support from his father (Brian Dennehy).

As Harris tries to fulfill his

dream of winning the competi-tion, more romance is on the hori-zon after he meets Carol (Rashida Jones), a fellow bird watcher, while traveling.

Even with such a stiff plot, Black’s signature humor, predomi-nant in his other films, does not ap-pear to be completely stifled.

The director employs diverse scenery to add some life to the otherwise dead and unbearably dry story.

Thick woodlands, bleached Alaskan hillsides and skies streaked with flocks of migrat-ing birds add varied visuals to the movie that depicts the main char-acters traveling across America.

But the bright feathers and cheerful chirping at the heart of the screenplay still yield scenes that ultimately lack thrill and amazement.

The climactic moments in the movie involve the characters spot-ting rare and exotic birds at which point the audience goes from bored to overwhelmed.

For an older audience that has seen these actors at their best, this movie is sure to be a disappoint-ment because not a single one of the trio delivers an amazing per-formance.

Despite the film’s original title and plot, “The Big Year” fails to take flight.

Popular music often captures the mood of important political and social movements, but protest songs have be-come relics of the past.

The lack of songs that record the im-portance of protests has become evident in the recent Occupy Wall Street movement, in which large groups of protestors have been camping out in various cities across the nation, including Houston, to restore de-mocracy in America.

Occupy Wall Street focuses on many issues, but the indiffer-ence the movement faces reflects a shortage of modern songs that communicate important problems to society.

Most of today’s pop music centers on superficial problems, including Bruno Mars’ desire for a lazy day or Adam Levine’s Mick Jagger-like dance moves.

This generation has few opportunities to be chal-lenged by songs, as music rarely serves as a medium for expressing intellectual thought. Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” and John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” stemmed from two central problems of the 1960s: the civil rights and anti-war movements. These songs de-

fined the movements by encapsulating the ideas of the protesters.

A few modern musicians, such as the Grammy Award-winning band Switchfoot, write and sing about recent social and political unrest America faces. Lead singer Jon Foreman said the group’s recent album “Vice Verses” focuses on “the struggle we call life.”

Until people start focusing on the real problems that plague society, this generation will not be able to leave its mark on societal issues such as global warming or

have bands that are remembered by future generations as “mod-ern Bob Dylans.”

The new generation of pro-testers may have trouble orga-nizing its thoughts into songs and making that music main-stream due to society’s general

lack of communication and interest in thought-provok-ing music.

Music and art generally reflect the opinions society deems important. It is not the job of musicians to sing about issues mainstream culture ignores.

Unless this generation begins to take a real interest in the problems facing society and the protests that have developed out of them, it will be impossible for musi-cians to write politically-charged songs that define the thought of this era.

Hollywood stars fail to soar in new film

Wall Street protest needs a Dylan

Elise Price . Senior International Business

Q: Which musical icon of the ‘60s do you enjoy the most?A: I’ve always enjoyed classic rock, so for me it would be between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Anything from that era of music is good listening.

Q: What are the benefits of being an international business major?A: Many of the skills I have acquired in the international business program are useful in any career field. It gives me a huge advantage in the job sector.

Q: How has marriage altered your college experience?A: Even though I prepared as much as possible for marriage, there are many things that I couldn’t have anticipated. Living off campus and having a husband who works has driven me to manage my time more effectively.

Q: What led you to the University?A: During my junior year in high school, the University came to a college fair and displayed many qualities that were not only important to me as a Christian, but also traits that would benefit me as a student with unique learning styles.

Q: How has the University helped you in your daily Christian walk?A: The University has been very active in my spiritual life. The countless Bible studies I attended as an underclassman and the many friendships I developed helped shape who I am as a Christian.

M L N M T B N E M M N Q Y E TE T C B S T P J K B I P U N H G K J T K G J U D Q L X O M E J E O X H V J A S R K S M P B D I V O C E H J A T N P I X E N O X V C A B Y Q I A N H F A F E R W K M C E B O R A F L T B S T I H H A O A O F L J U L I C T P A I R S H C A Y D V E B F Z R X Y Y W E N H D O N S A M L O E F E Z K H T B S T U I E C K K H N F N E E O O J P S X O X T A M W C D R B Z Y E G M F R A N K S I N A T R A S S V W B B N I T R A M N A E D

Sam Cooke

Bob Dylan

Frank Sinatra

The Beatles

Aretha Franklin

Ray Charles

The Who

Smokey Robinson

The Beach Boys

Dean Martin

Bayou City Outdoors Haunted Hike Oct. 21 - Memorial Park, 7 p.m.

Colbie Caillat will appear at the House of Blues in Houston as a part of her summer tour featur-ing her new album “All of You,” released in mid-July.

Memorial Park will feature its fifth annual Haunted Hike, an event in which attendees wander trails filled with many suspensful surprises.

The Korean Festival Oct. 22 - Discovery Green, 10 a.m.

Colbie Caillat Oct. 23 - House of Blues, 7 p.m.

MUSICAL ICONS:Can you spot these mu-sical icons of the ‘60s in the word search below? Good luck!

WORDS E A C

H

By JESSICA ALDANAEntertainment editor

theScoop On...

The Korean American Society of Houston will host its annual Ko-rean Festival, which will include a hanbok fashion show and live music from popular Korean artists.

By NEBEYU MEKONNENContributing writer

OCTOBER 20, 2011 8 THE COLLEGIAN | ENTERTAINMENT

Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Steve MartinPG

“The Big Year”

NASA recognized junior Shan-non Saganti, a pre-med student majoring in communication and rhetorical studies, for the presen-tation of her summer research on radiation exposure at the 22nd An-nual NASA Space Radiation In-vestigators’ Workshop in League City, Texas, on Sept. 20.

Saganti was one of the two un-dergraduates of the 21 competitors to present a paper at the weekend-long conference usually attended by graduate and post-doctoral students and professionals. She placed first in the “Space Radia-tion” category of the competition and received the Special Under-graduate Recognition Award after presenting her research project, “Long-Duration Human Space Expeditions and Radiation Expo-sure: 2000-2011,” for which she used mathematical models and the public records of the International Space Station to find a correlation between solar activity and radia-tion present in the space station to which astronauts are exposed.

Saganti’s research supports the theory that periods of high solar activity may be safer times for astronauts to travel into space, an irony that she explained is possi-bly caused by solar winds clearing out some of the radiation emitted by the sun into the low Earth orbit during spans of high activity.

“When the sun is more ac-

tive, more solar wind is produced, which prevents some of its radia-tion from lingering in the low Earth orbit,” she said. “Currently, we are in a period of lower solar activity, so we should expect a lot more ra-diation in the space station.”

The research was funded by two NASA grants, for which Saganti’s father, Dr. Premkumar Saganti, professor of physics and NASA Center for Applied Radiation Re-search faculty member at Prairie View A&M University, encour-aged her to apply in April. After re-ceiving approval for the Thurgood Marshall and Gates Foundation grants, Saganti spent the summer working at Prairie View A&M to collect the data that she presented in the form of a research poster.

Dr. Dorris Warren, dean of the College of Science and Mathemat-ics, said Saganti’s recognition by NASA is a source of great pride for the University and praised her ex-tracurricular research experience.

“I am so proud that Shannon won the award for her project,” Warren said. “Undergraduate re-search offers a student unique op-portunities for academic growth and supports the excellence of our HBU programs.”

After receiving the award at the conference, Saganti presented her research at the Innovation 2011 conference held at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Oct. 7.

Dr. Gary Erikson, visiting asso-ciate professor of physics at Prairie View A&M, who worked with Sa-

ganti on the project, said her work generated a lot of interest from members of the NASA community and that the quality of her presenta-tion surpassed that of many other competitors.

“Shannon’s work was very well received,” he said. “She did better than many of the graduate students there.”

Erickson, who specializes in magnetospheric transport, added that Saganti’s research is sig-nificant because it is important to know the level of radiation astro-nauts encounter. The results of the study indicate that there is little danger of the astronauts experi-encing long-term health problems from the exposure while aboard the space station.

The Jetsons had their robotic maid Rosie. Knight Rid-er had his signature talking car KITT. And now we have Siri.

With the release of the iPhone 4S, Apple took voice recognition, a previously extraneous feature, and true to form for all of the compa-ny’s products, brought it out of the realm of fiction and into reality as a practical tool for consumers.

Siri, with its seemingly science-fiction speech-recognition capabil-ity, can process the unique speech of its owner, perform the function requested and respond in a surpris-ingly conversational female voice. It serves as a virtual personal assis-tant for its users and raises the bar for Apple’s competitors, pushing them to develop even more human-like devices.

As a language student, I an-ticipate possibly using a more advanced version of Siri while traveling in order to help me bet-ter communicate with the locals. A GPS-enabled device like this would be able to translate phrases into the local vernacular of the target lan-guage, overcoming the limitations of current translators that only draw from a set of stored vocabulary and phrases.

It could even serve as a lan-guage tutor for people interested in learning a language but who are not acquainted with native speakers. Conversing in a foreign language with my cell phone would be pretty tough to top.

We have not yet reached the technological sophistication that “The Jetsons” producers envisioned for our century, but there’s still time for companies like Apple to devel-op more sophisticated products.

Considering the rate at which technology has improved, especial-ly within the last decade, making a full-fledged electronic assistant an everyday reality could be in our not-too-distant future.

Moving molecules and breaking bondsHair dryers dry wet hair by increasing the rate

of evaporation of water molecules surrounding each strand. When the appliance emits warm air, the tem-perature surrounding each strand of hair increases. Because hotter air can hold more moisture, more water can move from the surface of the hair into the air. Warmer temperatures also help the molecules overcome the hydrogen bonds that hold them in the liquid state, dispersing them as water vapor.

Creating currents and selecting speedWhen the hair dryer is switched on, an electrical

current is applied to the heating element and is used

to power the motor that turns the fan. The heating element is a coiled wire usually made of nichrome, an alloy whose relatively high electrical resistance causes it to heat quickly when a current passes through it. To generate hot air, current is also applied to the motor attached to the fan. Supplying power to the motor turns the fan, circulating air drawn in by the fan that passes through the barrel over the wire.

The handle’s corresponding buttons control the wattage supplied to the motor and wire, allowing users to specify the speed and temperature of the airflow and thus the rate at which their hair is dried.

information courtesy of HowStuffWorks

Did You Know..

New iPhone sets bar for future devices

QUESTION:How do hair dryers work?

ANSWER:A motor-driven fan passes air over a wire heating element to accelerate the evaporation of water from hair.

photo illustration by DINA ROHIRA

Pre-med student takes first in NASA poster competition

Library directors from around the state gathered in Austin Sept. 26-27 to plan for the changes that many Texas libraries will face be-ginning next fiscal year due to the loss of more than 80 percent of the funding that grants members access to electronic databases.

The $8 million provided by a biennial grant through TexShare, a service of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, has been reduced to approximately $1.5 mil-lion under the Texas Legislature’s House Bill 1.

Passed in May, the bill will in-state the budget cuts beginning in the 2012-13 fiscal year, scaling back

database access for 667 higher edu-cation, medical and public libraries.

The meeting was a collective ef-fort to organize the college libraries around the state to get the most out of their databases available through TexShare, said Moody Library di-rector Ann Noble, who attended the gathering. The library directors worked to create a task force to negotiate prices with the database providers with the goal of setting a similar group price without going through a state agency.

“Even if we have state money, there may be a better way for us to use the rest of our funds, so we ne-gotiate for lower prices for all the things we buy on our own by having people work together,” she said.

One of the benefits of the grant

is that it is a consortium, which al-lows a large group of schools to col-lectively purchase more electronic databases than they would be able to independently. The grant currently allows the Moody Library access to about $130,000 worth of databases for less than 5 percent of the cost.

The full impact of the budget cuts on the library’s 49 databases is yet to be determined as TexShare representatives renegotiate the prices of the databases. At the con-clusion of the bargaining, TexShare will decide which databases it will purchase with the reduced funding.

Dean Riley, professor of library science, stressed the importance of students having access to credible online resources in order to produce quality written assignments.

“If you go to Google, the open Internet and all of these places that are not that useful, you are going to have a certain quality of paper,” he said. “If you get better journal ar-ticles from better writers and from better sources, you are going to write a better paper.”

Noble agreed that the online da-tabases are valuable resources that many students at the University use, citing the more than 20,000 uses of CINAHL, a nursing database, and approximately 70,000 for JSTOR, a multi-subject resource, last year.

Junior Sammy Alexander, who used JSTOR for an English class last semester, said the specificity of its search engines was helpful. “You can find exactly what you are look-ing for with the searches,” he said.

Library likely to lose 80 percent of database funds

UP NEXT: How does cotton candy work?

By LAUREN SCHOENEMANNExec. managing editor

By LAUREN SCHOENEMANNExec. managing editor

By ETHAN MARLERStaff writer

OCTOBER 20, 2011 S&T | THE COLLEGIAN 9

Junior Shannon Saganti presented her summer research at the 22nd Annual NASA Space radia-tion Investigators’ Workshop in League City, Texas, on Sept. 20.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

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Is modern technology adversely affecting social interaction?

STAFF EDITORIAL

With eyes closed and legs crossed, I listened quietly to the hundreds of believers who whis-pered prayers in Arabic and dipped and bowed in a highly synchronized, dance-like ritual of worship.

In order to experience a faith and culture different from my Christian identity and heritage, I had ner-vously joined a friend for the Friday communal service at a mosque lo-cated about 20 minutes southwest of campus. While I may have been the only stereotypical white 21-year-old American male in the building, I felt a profound sense of connectedness to the Muslims around me, as they worshiped Allah with the same sin-cerity and dedication I have found in many Christian church services.

Hundreds of believers were lined up in perfectly straight lines, shoulder-to-shoulder and ankle-to-ankle, and like one person they moved to the prompts of the sheikh, a Muslim scholar who led the ser-vice, as he sang an elegiac melody of praise. His voice, rising and fall-ing as he sang the Muslim call to prayer, reverberated through the air and pierced through my cloudy thoughts, forcing me to focus on the moment at hand.

My task was to observe and not participate in the actual service, but I could not help myself from drifting off into a place of meditation, from which I thanked God for granting me the opportunity to expose myself

to something so different from my upbringing.

Prior to the call to prayer, the sheikh stood at the front of the or-nately designed mosque — its flow-ing architecture, with its arches and endlessly repeated patterns, a won-der to behold — and discussed the importance of prayer. The bearded man, wearing a light purple robe and accompanying prayer cap, told the worshipers that happiness is derived from satisfaction, which comes through pleasing God.

While our faiths are certainly dis-tinct from one another, I was able to find glimpses of truth in the sheikh’s message. Beyond that, there seems to be a deep-seated bond between the monotheistic religions that de-veloped out of the Abrahamic faiths, a connection that I felt as I sat in one of the largest mosques in Texas.

My thoughts lingered on this in-sight as I listened to the words of the sheikh. Though I could only under-stand about half of what he said, I understood his message on a level that went beyond lingual, cultural or doctrinal differences.

Therein lies the beauty of re-ligion: it connects us, deeply and intrinsically, to one another. Why it does this is perhaps the greatest mystery of human existence, but I took comfort in the newfound knowledge of this connection as I prayed with the hundreds of Muslim believers around me.

backtalk

Antithesis

By RAJESH MUTYALAContributing writer

Pablo Velezsophomore

Relaxed, frat-tastic, intentional.“ ”

Giovanni Arellanofreshman

Athletic, outgoing, altruistic.“ ”

Amanda Harrisonjunior

“ ”

Grace Messengersenior

Passionate, enthusias-tic, pursuer. “ ”

Maryam GhaffarBrandon Porter

Christopher JamesJessica AldanaReubin TurnerElysee Watson

Alexis Shelly

Asst. photography editorSports editorAsst. sports editorEntertainment editorAsst. entertainment editorOpinion editorReligion editor

Carlos GrajalesJustin M. Nguyen

Naila Al HasanNathan Cadis

Dr. Alice J. Rowlands

Online editorCopy editorCirculation managerAlumni consultantFaculty adviser

Non-Christian students have been unfairly excluded from active participation in Student Govern-ment Association for the past two years, an inequality that would be partially remedied if SGA adopts the proposed constitutional amendment.

The current policy requires all SGA members to sign the Univer-sity preamble, which affirms the Christian faith. Revisions to the policy, however, would require students holding only executive positions to sign the preamble and allow legislative positions to be filled by anyone, including non-Christians.

Legislative members still must agree to support the University’s mission by signing the Covenant Agreement, which requires non-Christians to abstain from voting

on spiritual matters.While the amendment would

still not allow full representation for non-Christians, it would be a step in the right direction for an association that should be fully representative of the student body.

The current rule prevents the 28 percent of students who do not profess the Christian faith from serving on SGA, with no consider-ation of their abilities or eagerness to serve.

This inverts the traditional American meritocracy and re-places it with a system wherein students are allowed to serve pri-marily based on their faith, thereby limiting the college experiences of those who are not Christian.

Allowing all students to pay the same tuition but not giving them the same privileges is unfair. The

exclusion of non-Christians can limit their future opportunities because they are not able to fully build their resumes with valuable leadership experience that could be gained by participating in such an organization.

President Robert B. Sloan Jr. told the audience at the inaugural State of the University address last spring that all students should be

allowed to fully partake in student life activities and programs. Al-lowing non-Christians to serve as legislators in SGA would reflect this statement.

It is unfair for students to attend a university in which they are de-nied the opportunity to fully take part in vital components of campus life. This amendment is necessary to alleviate this past inequality.

Modern technology does not hinder the ability to interact with one another, nor does it diminish the quality of conversations.

For example, a teenager may not be comfortable dis-cussing his or her passion for paint-ing at school and may face difficulty

in finding classmates who share this interest. By uploading work to Facebook or another social net-work, however, he or she can in-stantly attract the attention of those with similar interests, leaving the door for communication open.

Conversations from social net-working sites are not restricted to the computer screen but often spark discussion in the real world, help-ing to establish social bonds be-tween people.

Other technological means of communication also encourage dis-cussion. Texting encourages quick and convenient communication in a fast-paced world. A student wor-ried about a minor detail in his or her homework might send a text message, for the sake of efficiency, as opposed to calling a busy friend.

The evolution of communica-tion has been helpful in maintain-ing personal connections in a world where computers and cell phones have gone from being a luxury to a necessity. While technology has changed the way people interact, it has not impeded social interaction.

by Daniel Cadis, editor in chief

illustration by MAX ANTON

Digital communication has taken away from face-to-face in-terpersonal interaction.

Since 1992, texting has been a convenient alter-native to calling someone or meet-ing in person.

There is a temp-tation to forego an actual meeting in

an effort to save time or avoid a potentially awkward or tense encounter. Reading words on a screen seems painless compared to physically experiencing the discussion. It also takes away from the clarity of the situation.

Social networking websites also present a major distraction to everyday experiences. Before the mobilization of social network-ing, people could appreciate the activities in which they would participate without interruptions from their cell phones.

The widespread use of cell phones has led to misconduct in social settings. Many times two people will converse with each other, but while one is speaking the other is blatantly typing on his or her mobile device, making no eye contact and not hearing a word that is said to him or her.

It is no longer socially accept-able to be completely engrossed in real life situations and speak face-to-face like a normal human being. Modern technology has de-faced the art of communication.

SGA policy seeks leadership equality

By JESSICA SCOTTAdvertising assistant

Girly, restful, busy.

OCTOBER 20, 2011 10 THE COLLEGIAN | OPINION

The ultimate connectionThis column is part of a series on living life fully during college.

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Copy-

Editing

QuizCan you be a Collegian copy editor? Take this quiz and bring it to Brown 225 to find out. Make corrections in something other than pencil or black ink.

1. The boys’ golf team won their first play-off game.

2. Between you and I, she is a better reporter than me.

3. The terrorist will be hung at 12 midnight.

4. Over 50 antiwar church-goers charried hand-made signs.

5. Melman is the heavily-favored candidate in the race for mayor.

6. I won 4,000,000 dollars in last weeks lottery.

7. My class, that is located in building 2, was can-celled. 8. The dance team performed their show at half-time.

9. Prof. Nick Summers gave his class an exam last tuesday.

10. The grizzly scene was the result of a bear at-tack in the park.

11. The grown ups went out to see a movie with out the kids.

12. Please leave the heavy trash for waste man-agement 13. The ice-age was a period of extreme cold in the world.

14. I will forego eating any snacks for the next week.

If you DID NOT sell your textbook at the last buy-back or have a book to SELL, we want to BUY IT!

Contact: Lee partnersinbooks@gmail.com

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OCTOBER 20, 2011 CLASSIFIEDS | THE COLLEGIAN 11

Why did you choose the University? The golf program was just starting back up so I felt I could play in a lot of tournaments and help the team win.

What is the toughest course at which you have com-peted? Traditions Club Golf Course in Bryan, Texas.

Who was your idol growing up? Sheryl Swoopes.

Do you have a superstition? I like to have a song stuck in my head while I am playing.

Who first introduced you to golf? My grandfather.

What is your favorite sports moment? When we won our second consecutive Great West Conference Champi-onship.

What are your plans for after college? To go to graduate school at the University of Texas for sports nutrition or try to become a professional golfer.

If you could meet anyone alive, who would it be? Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie.

What was the first sporting event you ever attended? A Texas Rangers game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The 215 people in attendance for the Oct. 15 win against Utah Valley University witnessed his-tory when volleyball senior libero Courtney Whittleman became HBU’s all-time digs leader with 1,977.

The senior surpassed Stephanie Lust’s previous record of 1,973, which she gained from 2003-07.

Whittleman said she was ec-

static about the news of her record after the team’s win and attributed the accomplishment to her dedica-tion since her freshman season.

“It feels great being the all-time digs leader, something I have been working for since I was a fresh-man,” she said.

The Huskies defeated Utah Val-ley 3-1, losing the first set 28-26 and winning the next three 25-19, 25-23 and 25-17. Along with her record-setting day, Whittleman, who is on pace to accumulate more than 2,000 digs, recorded 29 digs with six assists.

Junior outside hitter Heather Leaverton and senior outside hitter Isis Gardner each recorded 17 kills,

and senior setter Victoria Weather-ly recorded her 10th double-double of the year with 50 assists and 10 digs.

The Great West Conference win over Utah Valley was an important victory for the Huskies as the team was coming off of its first confer-ence loss of the season to the Uni-versity of North Dakota on Oct. 13.

The Huskies started off slowly in the first set against Utah Valley because they had trouble with the Wolverines’ defense.

“It came down to serving and passing,” volleyball head coach Kaddie Platt said. “Utah Valley plays great defense, so our team had to be patient about our oppor-

tunities and keep doing the right things.”

The University improved offen-sively in the final three sets, record-ing 49 kills to the Wolverines’ 38. Weatherly said the Huskies were patient in the later sets and found holes in Utah Valley’s defense.

“We had game point a lot, and it was just a matter of taking care of the ball in pressure situations,” Weatherly said. “I think we did a good job of that in the last three sets.”

The win over Utah Valley puts the Huskies in first place in the Great West at 4-1 in conference, giving them as many wins as they had all of last season.

The 2011-12 athletic year could possibly be recog-nized as a year of milestones for the University if three coaching and three

athletic records are broken.The volleyball team is having

one of its best seasons in school history as an NCAA Division I member, but what could make for a perfect season apart from an ap-pearance in the NCAA tournament would be head coach Kaddie Platt earning her 500th career win.

Platt currently has 494 career wins as the coach of the Huskies but may struggle to obtain the final six. Of the possible nine games left, games will be against conference favorites the University of North Dakota and Utah Valley University.

Men’s basketball head coach Ron Cottrell was predicted to obtain his 400th win in 2011, but after a difficult 5-26 season, he is still four shy of his milestone win.

The softball team dominated the Great West Conference last sea-son en route to its first conference championship, finishing 35-22 on the year. Softball head coach Mary-Ellen Hall only needs 25 wins this year to reach 700 for her career.

The entire University should be proud that the coaches are not only winning often in their respective sports but are also continuing to re-cruit better athletes who set and re-break the records of Huskies past.

Two athletes, volleyball senior libero Courtney Whittleman and baseball senior third baseman Rob-bie Buller, could achieve major milestones this year as well.

Whittleman became the all-time digs leader with 1,977 during the win over Utah Valley on Oct. 15. Her 29 digs against the Wolverines broke the former record held by Stephanie Lust, who had 1,973 from 2003-07. The digs record is prob-ably not the only milestone Whittle-man will reach this season. With 23 digs remaining, the senior is on track to become the first volleyball player in school history to reach 2,000 in a career.

Buller is seven home runs shy of breaking Andrew Taccolini’s career home run record, which he set from 2006-09 with 32. Buller hit 16 home runs last year, so seven should not be difficult for him this season.

Judging by these accomplish-ments, this year is clearly set to be a milestone year for the athletics de-partment.

by BRANDON PORTER

Season of milestones for athletics

Senior libero sets new career digs record with 1,977

Senior libero Courtney Whittleman, center, celebrates with sophomore middle blocker Madison Harper and the rest of her teammates during the win over the University of Texas at San Antonio at Sharp Gym on Sept. 1. Whittleman set the career digs record on Oct. 15.

Whittleman breaks record in upset win over Utah Valley

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By CHRISTOPHER JAMESAsst. sports editor

Oct. 29 1 p.m. NJIT*

Nov. 3Nov. 5

7 p.m.2 p.m.

Chicago State*NJIT*

Senior Paige GibsonHeight: 5’6’’

Three-time First Team All-Conference member

OCTOBER 20, 2011 12 THE COLLEGIAN | SPORTS

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Oct. 22Oct. 27

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North Dakota*SCSU*

Nov. 4 6:30 p.m. Abilene Christian Nov. 5 7:05 p.m. Augsburg

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By BRANDON PORTERSports editor